


Terrible Warning

by jackalshepherd



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Gen, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-07
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-12 03:52:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19124026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackalshepherd/pseuds/jackalshepherd
Summary: Link has been having weird dreams and nightmares for nearly a year now, plagued by them while awake. What started out as a problem to deal with later, gets worse as he starts to have the same experiences and sightings even when he isn't sleeping. He teeters on his own beliefs and perceptions, and wants nothing to do with confronting his avoidance of grief and his growing list of worries, and wants nothing to do with any proposed goddess or otherworldly solicitors. Unfortunately for him, that's not going to be his decision to make for much longer.





	Terrible Warning

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. This is my first fic, not to mention first multichapter fic, so I'll do my best.   
> Let me know if any formatting is off, I had to fight my keyboard a little bit to get things posted how I liked it.

There is a divine beast, with his own blue eyes looking back at him and talismans hanging from its ears. It has the look of a starving wolf, and stands at the height of an elk, sharp yellow teeth peeking through its jaws. Link stands in a dark grove, the path around him looking like the trees themselves decided where he needs to go, showing his path straight to the haunting beast. Whether the divine wolf stands to block his path, or to accept him when he gets closer he can never tell.

No matter how he pushes, how he strains his legs and shoulders, he can’t slow his pace or turn back around. Trying to move any other way just makes his body tilt on its axis, and his legs are stuck moving forward. His skin feels cold and clammy, like he’s been running and sweating for a while and is just starting to cool down.

The closer his feet pulls him to the wolf, the more overwhelmed he feels, and the more he feels like his heart wants to jump out through his throat. He’s a few steps from the wolf now. The mangled fur that was the same green and gray of the forest, melts off like falling ashes and is now a blinding gold, and its eyes are now red, with a stare so intense Link has to close his eyes, shielding his face with his arms. Whether the beast gets brighter, or whether it puts its strong jaws to use, he might as well prepare for it.

He feels a force pulling his arms away, and his legs, strongly tethered to the ground a moment ago, leave his body free floating and start sluggishly paddling without his input. His eyes open, and without him knowing or feeling any change, the forest grove has shifted into an underwater lake bed, hydrilla stems and water sprite brushing against his arms, towering above him like trees. The wolf is gone now, but he still feels its eyes piercing into him at all sides. His body isn’t shivering but he knows it should be cold. The plants surround him like the grove did before, but this time there’s no path, and his body seems content to float in place. He moves himself to paddle forward, reaching a less plant crowded drop, and his hands grab onto algae covered ruins of stone walls to propel himself forward. He's never seen these ruins before, never been this deep underwater before, but his chest still pangs like he saw someone again that he’s missed for several years, and his eyes start to sting. This has to be the most nerve racked he’s felt in a while, and however long this plans to take, he’d like to wake up _now. _  
——__

His eyes snap open, and he breathes in a quick gasp, tucking his knees towards his stomach. His body is awake before his brain and eyes catch up with it, still delirious and wobbly from his sleep, and has to rub his eyes as he fights off the chill from the overhead fan in his room. Link slowly shifts himself to sit on his bed, still lethargic, and keeps the heels of his palms pressed to his eyes until he sees colored static. He opens his eyes, and squints until his eyes focus, craning his neck to see it’s only half past ten at night, and thinks he’d gladly go back to sleep for another half hour before work, but the fear of his recurring wolf friend making another visit keeps him shivering and awake.

It’s when he’s dressed and driving down a quiet road to work when he tries to think back on his dream, cataloging every detail before it leaves his memory. He’s been experiencing these dreams for a few months now, thankfully not every night, and not usually as terrifying, but enough that its extremely bizarre. There are a couple people that still pop up in Link’s mind that he would talk to about his worries...though one he feels that he’s already burdened his friend Bazz enough, and there’s the other option, whom he can’t talk to anymore, even if he wanted to. The streets are empty, but he still uses his blinker to change lanes, and he catches himself looking in the rear view mirror with quick uneasy glances more frequently than necessary, still feeling like eyes are looking back at him. _ _  
—-_ _

In his group of friends, Link is known to either be late, pulling off his signature look of just waking up but able to get away with it, or to show up right on time right when he’s needed. Thankfully he clocks into work right on time at midnight, _not_ late at the twenty four hour convenience store, shuffling towards the aisles to do a quick look through, putting chips or candy back where they belong. He sends the previous worker out the door, checking the doors and aisles again, and patting for his keys up to three times before he settles behind the register.

The dream shook him enough that he’s over alert even later during his shift, ringing up the rare late night customers that come by for gasoline or whatever odd things they need at one in the morning. And later, having to broaden his shoulders and stance, shooing out a man who’s had too much to drink to _please leave, sir, I won’t ask again._ Later, he’s handing a sleepy man who should not be driving his change for the gas pump and coffee when he flinches violently.

_Ha-ha!! Found you!_

His brain has never yelled at him internally to keep a straight face louder in his life. The now disturbed patron, startled by Link’s flinch, shoots scared glances at him as he leaves the store. When the doors are closed with no one around to stare, Link spins his head at the rude...creature, that’s balancing foot to foot on his check out counter. Oh good. First the paralyzing wolf water dream and now he gets another visit from the little tree bark dolls that try to get him fired. He’s proud of himself that he hasn’t given his name to it yet. If he remembers correctly there’s a weird rule about that. His habit of not talking much allowed the hollow tree creature to pick a name for him.

_“Hahaha! Did I scare you? What did you dream about this time, Mr. Hero?”_

He nods at his visitor, giving it a stray rupee to play with. The tree dolls don’t have actual faces, just leaves as masks, but their voice conveys more than enough. Right now it’s swinging it’s twig legs back and forth, sitting on the money drawer as if it’s waiting for him to tell a story.  
Or for him to turn his back and get a deku seed shot at him, he doesn’t know.

So, he takes a deep breath, prepares a story off of his head, and accepts that the rest of his shift will continue like this as usual until early sunrise.


End file.
